Roast Chicken with Mustard and Grapes

Author Notes

I’ll admit that I don’t eat as much fruit as I should, but when grapes are in season, I can never resist bringing some home from our farmers’ market. I’m always looking for savory applications for grapes, and I have come to love using them to dress up pan sauces. This one features both mustard seeds and Dijon mustard, as well as the warm, lemony flavor of coriander. I think the combination works really well, and makes a great accent to a simple plate of roast chicken – it’s easy enough for a weeknight, but elegant enough for company. Note: I prefer to use a light homemade chicken broth – if you are using a commercial brand, use an unsalted variety so you can control the level of sodium. As far as the Dijon goes, I like it really sharp – Maille Extra Hot is a favorite. - lastnightsdinner —lastnightsdinner

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe is living proof that keeping things simple often yields great results. By creating a pan sauce with a few carefully chosen ingredients, lastnightsdinner takes roast chicken and elevates it to elegance. The headliner is the mustard (she calls for both Dijon and brown mustard seeds), but no less important are its four sidekicks: toasted coriander, lots of finely chopped shallot, fresh thyme and red grapes. By combining these with a little chicken broth and the pan drippings in the cast iron skillet in which you've already cooked the chicken, you end up with a sauce that belies the relative simplicity of the dish. It's simultaneously creamy, tangy, aromatic and a bit nutty (we're guessing from the coriander?). Its skin having been salted and left to dry in the refrigerator overnight, the roast chicken is both crisp and tender, and the half-cooked grapes pop pleasantly in your mouth, leaving their sweetness behind. We're pretty certain we could eat this every day. - A&M —The Editors